Safety attachment for locomotives



Jul 24, 1923- 11,462,619 w. c. PATTERSON SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Dec. 4, 1922 INVENTOR WITNESSES WWAWSQA, BY

ATTORNEY WARREN C. PATTEREiON, OF POTTSVILLE,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF TO JOHN F. JOHNSON, 0F LEYVISB'UEG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOB LOCOMOTIVES.

Application filed' December T 0 all whom it may concern. w

Be it known that L VVnnnen C. PATTER- soN. a citizen of the United States, residing at Pottsville, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Attachments for Locomotives of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety attachments for locomotives.

The object is to provide an attachment to be secured imposition on each side of a locomotive in a manner to support the drive rod or connecting rod, when either rod becomes broken or detached from the wrist" pin or pins of the: drive wheels while the locomotive is under way, and thus avoid damage to the road bed or to the engine or derailment of the latter when such mishap occurs.

In carrying out theinvention, I provide a device whichmay be secured in position beneath the running board at eachside of the locomotive, and between any .two of the drive wheels, whether the locomotive has only two or more drive wheels, and on the outside thereof, the said attachment having vertically disposed bars with a. front to rear passageway of suflicient width to accommodate the said driveand connecting rods in side-by-side relation to each other. the said passageway being of sufficient height ,to permit the vertical movements of the rods while running, the vertical bars being joined by upper and lower cross plates or abutments to prevent the broken bars from fallingto the track below or from damaging the cab or boiler or other parts above.

A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a considera tion of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification; it being understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

4., 1922.. Serial No. 604,914.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of portion of a, locomotive, showing the improved. safety device in position thereon;

2 is av detail horizontal sectional view taken on'the line of i 1; i

Fig. 3 is a detail poi-spec ive view attachment.

Many serious accidents and oftentimes derailment of the locomotive are caused by the breakage of the drive rod runn from the cross head to one of the drive wheels, or by the breakage of the horizontally disposed connecting rod which joins the two or more drive wheels, the broken member being driven with tremendous power against the road bed su'liiciently to lift he side of the locomotive and topple the same over sideways. The same result often happens when the boxings surrounding the wrist pins become broken or damaged. or the wrist pin itself is broken, and the present simple, cheaply-menufactored and easily insalled safety attachment is designed to prevent such accidents in the following manner.

The invention comprises a simple, cage like frame consisting of four corner posts or bars 1, each of which is preferably angle lar in cross section, as shown in 2, for the purpose of imparting great strength with minimum lightness.

The corner posts 1 are joined at their lower ends by a base plate or platform 2, the outer corners of said posts being preferably fiush with the corners of said platform and integrally joined thereto, the entire device being in the form of a casting or a. forging. the several parts being capable of being welded together.

The upper ends of the posts 1 are joiner to a rectangular cap 3 cbnstituting" an attaching plate of greater dimensions than the base plate 2, the four projecting corners being provided with bolt openings l, through which are passed bolts 5 for securingthe device beneath the running board 6 of the locomotive.

Beneath the attaching plate 3 and in spaced relation to the same, is another plate or platform 7 joined to the corner posts in the same manner as the base plate 2, the two plates being preferably formed solid though the same may be of flanged construction.

When the attachment is secured to the running board 6, as shown in Fig. 1 of the J! l (E; 118

drawing,-tl1e four corner posts 1 are located just outside of the front and rear drive wheels 8, as shown in Fig. 2, the longitudinal vertical axis of the device being coincident with the space between the flanges of said wheels. While the drawing shows a locomotive with but two drive wheels, as in some types of locomotives, it will be understood that more than one of the attachments will be used on a side where a greater number of drive wheels are employed.

The length of theposts 1 is such that when the attachment is secured in position, a horizontal line interserting the axes of the drive wheels passes through the device exactly midway between the upper and lower plates or platforms 7 and 2 respectively, the dis tance etween said plates being ample to allow of the rising and falling movements of the drive rod 9 and the connecting rod 10, without danger of either contacting with the said plates, as long as the rods and their wrist pins hold. When breakage occurs, it will be seen that either of the rods is prevented from contacting with the ground. byreason of the lower plate 2 which will support the same, and at the same time allow of the gyrating movement of the rod causedfby the remaining intact wrist pin, and inlike-manner both rods are prevented from contacting with and injuring any of the parts of the locomotive located above, by reason of the interposed, upper plate or platform 7. j

While the attachment is shown and described as being in the form of a forging or a casting, with all the parts thereof formed integrally, it is to be understood that the same may be of other formations, such, for instance, as by forming the corner posts 1 separately of bar iron or of angle iron, and suitably connecting them to the attaching plate 3 at the top, the bottom plate or platform 2 and the intermediate plate or platform 7 by means of rivets or bolts in any desired manner without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple device has been provided for the purpose stated, which may be easily and cheaply manufactured and installed in position upon either side of a locomotive with out interfering with any of the working parts'and without adding materially to the weight of the locomotive, the device effectually acting to hold and support broken drive or connecting rods and prevent their doing any damage while the engine is being brought to a standstill.

hat is claimed is 1. A safety attachment for locomotives, comprising a means adapted to be secured to the side of the locomotive and to surround the drive rod and connecting rod while permitting full movements of these parts said means constituting a support for the rods to prevent their falling to the ground or striking the locomotive in the event of anybreakage.

2. A safety attachment for locomotives, comprising an open frame having means at its upper end for attachment to the running board of the locomotive and having a passageway longitudinally of the locomotive for the free rotary and reciprocatory movements of the drive and connecting rods therethrough, said frame having means to sup port the said rods in the event of breakage.

3. A safety attachment for'locomotives, comprising aframe having an upper attaching plate adapted to be bolted on either side of the locomotive and to the underside of the running board at a point. intermediately between the drive wheels, depending corner posts carried by said plate, integral upper and lower abutment plates'carried by the said posts, said posts being spaced apart sufficiently to receive the drive and connecting rods of the locomotive, the said abutment )la-tes being spaced one above the other sufiiciently to permit of the normal movements of said rods and to prevent their contacting with the roadbed or with the locomotive in the event of breakage.

In testimony, that I as my own, I have hereto ture.

WARREN C. PATTERSON.

claim the foregoing alfixed my signa- 

